Arsenal FC striker Eduardo da Silva is recovering from surgery in a London hospital after suffering a severe break to his left leg and ankle during Saturday's Premier League draw at Birmingham City FC which will keep him out for the rest of the season and Croatia's UEFA EURO 2008™ challenge.'Horrendous'
The match was stopped for nearly ten minutes as the Brazilian-born Eduardo was treated on the field before being carried off on a stretcher. Birmingham defender Martin Taylor was given a straight red card for his third-minute challenge on the forward. "The tackle was horrendous," said Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. "I've seen some bad ones before but you are not always punished with a broken leg. The minimum is that the season is over and we're scared it is much longer."
'Fantastic guy'
Eduardo was taken to hospital in Birmingham where he was diagnosed with compound fractures of the tibia and fibula, and medical staff at the ground were also reported to be shocked at the seriousness of the injury. "He is a fantastic guy and to see him in such pain and the shape of his leg was very difficult to take for our players," added Wenger, who said Eduardo had broken his leg and ankle.
Qualifying feat
Born in Rio de Janeiro on 25 February 1983, Eduardo moved to Croatia aged 15 to join NK Dinamo Zagreb as an apprentice. After obtaining Croatian citizenship, he made his international debut against the Republic of Ireland in 2004 and is one of a number of Brazilians playing for other national sides. Eduardo, who joined Arsenal last July, was looking forward to playing for Croatia at this summer's UEFA European Championship. With ten goals overall, he was the second top scorer in qualifying for the finals in Austria and Switzerland.
source : www.uefa.com
